I sat down to plan this year’s family Advent activities and thought I’d begin by brainstorming ideas and then choosing twenty-four of them from my list. I expected to stop around thirty or forty ideas… but they just kept rolling, so I decided to tidy them up by category and share them with you. (I’m yet to narrow my own list down to twenty-four for this year – ha! Maybe tomorrow.)

Hope this helps you plan a little holiday fun with your family. Please add additional ideas in the comments – let’s truly make this an ultimate Christmas activity list. (I left off ideas and traditions for Christmas Day, but feel free to add them too!)

Decorating:

Make a paper garland to hang on the tree, over a door, or in the kids bedroom.

Decorate the windows with spray snow.

Outings:

Cut or pick a Christmas tree.

Visit a few friends’ houses to sing Christmas carols and hand out candy canes.

Hop in the car in your jammies and drive around to look at the Christmas lights.

Visit Santa for photos.

Attend a Christmas parade (or watch on TV/YouTube).

Watch the Nutcracker Ballet on stage (or on DVD).

Go to a tree-lighting ceremony.

Attend a Christmas concert.

Check out books from the library about how people celebrate Christmas in other nations.

Attend a holiday craft bazaar with grandma.

Craft and create:

Write (or color on) Christmas cards.

Decorate a Christmas card for your teacher, Sunday School teacher, or favorite babysitter.

Make a handmade Christmas ornament for someone else in the family.

Color a Christmas picture or make a Christmas craft.

Make paper snowflakes to hang from the kids’ bedroom ceiling.

Write letters to Santa.

Make and mail a Christmas card to a family member or friend who lives in another state or country.

Make a silly Christmas video to email to friends (or post on facebook) on Christmas day.

Make (or draw inside) thank you cards that are ready to be filled out after Christmas.

Make thumbprint snowmen.

Make homemade play dough in red and green.

Make play dough snowmen.

Make a video of each family member singing their favorite Christmas song.

Make glitter snow globes out of baby food jars. (Secure the lids with a hot glue gun!)

Paint pinecones to make a centerpiece for the table or to display in a clear vase or string on a bunting.

Make a bouquet of poinsettias out of felt or construction paper and pipe cleaners.

Make a pinecone bird feeder and attach a little note that says, “Merry Christmas birdies!”

Fun at home:

Have a living room dance party to a fun Christmas album.

Let everyone in the family choose a country and then google to see how they celebrate Christmas there.

Unwrap and read a new Christmas book.

Wrap grandma and grandpa’s gifts.

Pull out mattresses and have a family slumber party under the tree.

Have a family story night and read all your Christmas storybooks while enjoying a plate of cookies and milk.

Snuggle up in mom and dad’s bed and read The Night Before Christmas.

Have a funny Christmas photo shoot (80’s Christmas sweaters?!).

Make popcorn and watch home movies from the year.

Choose your favorite photos for a family year book.

Make some personal and family New Years goals.

Wrap daddy’s gift with mommy (or mommy’s gift with daddy).

Wrap up your holiday books for the kids to open and read together as a family (include one new book for the year).

Read Elf on the Shelf (and let the fun begin!).

Make a “pillow bed” on the living room floor and watch some classic Christmas cartoons (Rudolf, Frosty, etc.) together.

Send a small Christmas care package to a missionary or foreign exchange student.

Give each family member a shoe box and tell them to collect and fill it with red and green things from around the house or yard.

YouTube funny Christmas caroling videos together.

Use only Christmas mugs for all of your drinks for an entire day.

Draw the kids a bubble bath by candle-light with Christmas tunes playing on the stereo.

Interview each family member on video asking a short list of questions (favorite memory from the year, etc.).

Celebrate Saint Nicolas Day (December 6th) by doing a secret act of kindness.

Let each child choose a friend to invite over for a Christmas-themed morning tea.

Draw names and write a love note for a family member. Leave them out on Christmas Eve for Santa to distribute into their stocking.

Have a “fancy dress” code for dinner one night.

Check your shoes on Saint Nicolas Day – December 6th. [Leave the kids a few pieces of candy.]

“Help” dad put up the outdoor Christmas lights.

Write a “new” Christmas carol, personalizing (re-writing) the words to one of your favorites.

Invite another family to come over in their jammies to watch a favorite Christmas movie and share a favorite Christmas treat.

Get out a Christmas songbook and sing a few carols before nap time and bed time. (We actually do this for the entire month, but thought I’d include it for families who are a bit less gung-ho about the all-month caroling. Ha!)

Watch your favorite Christmas movies:

Miracle on 34th Street (Definitely the original… but in color for the kiddos.)

White Christmas

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (I prefer the original cartoon version!)

Charlie Brown’s Christmas

It’s a Wonderful Life

The Nativity Story

Elf

Home Alone

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Nutcracker Ballet

The Polar Express

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

The Christmas Story

A Christmas Carol (the Jim Carrey version)

The Snowman

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the other cartoon classics

*A few of these movies aren’t appropriate for young children.

Winter-specific activities:

Make snow angels.

Go sledding.

Build a snowman together.

Get bundled up and go ice skating.

Have hot chocolate and candy canes.

Make hot apple cider.

Bundle up and go on a sleigh ride.

Make eggnog.

Have a snowball fight.

Roast marshmallows inside over the fireplace.

Make snow cones out of real snow.

Summer-specific activities:

Make sand angels.

Take a wagon ride or bike ride after dark around a neighborhood that’s known for lots of Christmas lights.

Have fish and chips on the beach.

Play backyard cricket.

Stay up past bedtime and go swimming after dark.

Spread out blankets in the yard and do some star-gazing.

Have a fondue night with summer fruit and chocolate.

Go for a wagon ride with Santa hats and squirt guns.

Roast marshmallows outside over a bonfire.

Make root beer or coke floats.

Go out for snow cones (or ice cream cones).

Have a red and green themed BBQ.

Go for a “moon walk” in your jammies.

Go to the beach and use shaving cream to make Santa beards on each other before jumping in for a swim.

Attend “Carols by Candlelight” in the park.

Wear your swimmers for an outdoor bubble bath in the wading pool.

Take a family bike ride (or wagon ride) with Santa hats on.

Dear friends, I hope this mammoth list has helped to get your creative juices flowing to think about how you can celebrate the lead-up to Christmas with your family. This is certainly a time of year to celebrate!! What are your favorite Christmas activities?

Related:

About Adriel Booker

Adriel Booker is a writer, speaker, and difference-maker living Down Under with her Aussie love and littles where they serve in full-time ministry (and full-time parenting) together. She writes about motherhood and parenting (including pregnancy, birth, miscarriage, and raising littles), faith and spirituality, social justice, empowering women, tiny house living, creativity, and making the most of our everyday lives. Adriel and her family are currently living in an adorable little vintage caravan - 100 square feet of love on wheels.

I’ve done an advent calender in the past but this year to be more frugal we are going to make a point to watch a Christmas movie a night for free! Thanks for the lists, pinning it for others and my future self.

Thanks so much for the list!! Thought I would pass on our absolute favorite Christmas movie (my 3 year old & on up request it:) The Very First Noel – because you need another activity on you list:) veryfirstnoel.com if you want to check it out.

quite the list–thank you! I like the Jesus Storybook Bible Advent reading plan a lot. Our family favorite! Megan from Sorta Crunchy mentioned it–thank you! You enjoy the summer down under and I’ll soak in the cold in Washington state:)Kamille@Redeeming the Table recently posted..Avoiding a Pinterest Christmas?

Thank you for all these great ideas! I love your blog and shared your advent Jesus Storybook Bible reading plan. We love that bible and reading it again touches your heart as deeply as the first time.Sarah Quiroz recently posted..Jesus Storybook Bible Reading Plan

Thank you for posting this list! As the “crazy single aunt” of the family I get to share my holiday with a bunch children and adults. This list will give the season the extra sparkle I was seeking! Much love and blessings to you!Christine recently posted..Sweet it’s here!

thanks elizabeth! we’re just now getting into veggie tales and loving them!! looking forward to checking out some of their christmas specials. i think my mom actually sent us one or two dvds last year but i’m practicing extreme self control by not pulling anything out until after thanksgiving. Adriel recently posted..A Bazillion Resources and Encouragement for New Moms

Just wanted to let you know I came across your blog and have fallen in love with you… madly… and it might even lead to problems, but I’m sure in the long run my family will be thankful that someone else shares in my passion for such things (so they won’t need to hear me talk). Anyway… just wanted to say thanks for all you’ve shared here, as well as some of the other posts I’ve found and will be linking to from my blog.

Our family tradition on advent is to go to theatre it is beautiful tradition in my opinion, just because it is not only entertaining but also it teaches values of life. Our favourite are these ones- Renginiai Vilniuje ;)) try, and I believe you will not regret and it will become beautiful tradition of your life

Adriel, I love your ideas! This is by far the best list of activities I’ve found, and I’m happy to say that I’ll be using several of them on the advent calendar for my daughter this year. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas. I’m also featuring your post here over at Creatively Southern for the advent calendar I just made. Happy Holidays!!

Thanks so much, I love your ideas especially regarding ‘serving’. What an inspiring list! We were at church this morning and the priest spoke to us about creating our own family advent traditions, it really struck a chord with me. So i found myself doing an internet search and immediately came to your blog. I feel like i’ve struck gold. If you have any organisational/ planning/ family motivating tips and also tips for motivating the family i would love you to share them. I have a husband and two boys who are my loves but i am a girly girl and sometimes feel my suggestions and ideas are not always on their wavelength! Thank you xx

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

[...] we have an Advent “calendar” that I’ve done for several years already (need 150+ Advent activity ideas?), I’ve mostly used it for fun family activities and little chocolates. I will do the same this [...]

[...] One friend shared this great Advent reading plan with the Jesus Storybook Bible, and a list of fun ideas for activities and outings to do throughout the season (I came across this list as well). So each little bag has a card (not a [...]

[...] Christmas countdown fun 150+ Christmas countdown activities to choose from (mostly for your own family): fun at home, outings, serving others, in the kitchen, decorating, faith-based, crafting, movies, winter, summer, etc. Skim through them and see what may be suitable or adaptable for your Compassion child. Also have a look at the Advent reading plan based on another post about the Jesus Storybook Bible. [...]

[…] Adriel Booker’s list of 150+ advent ideas — Holy mackeral! Tons of ideas here! My faves: make caramel corn (maybe add Christmas-y sprinkles?), light a fire in the fireplace and roast marshmallows, and make videos of each family member singing a Christmas carol. How cool will that last one be 10 or 20 years from now? […]

[…] This is our first year doing this method and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it moves smoothly! If you want to take a peek at some of our activities, you can download a copy of our complete list here. You can also get some great ideas from this list of 150+ Advent Ideas! […]

[…] search for some other ideas for “advent activities”. I found another fabulous blog by Adriel Booker and not only did she give me a bunch of ideas (over 150), but she offered them in a FREE pdf of The […]

[…] regret adding to your daily reading list) and one list that has lots of advent activity ideas. 1)Ultimate List of Advent Activities 2) Weekly Activities using Isahia 9:6 - that go along with these activities from Lay Baby […]

[…] Our local newspaper also had a great list of Christmas activities going on locally — I bet yours does too! I’ve also found good lists of ideas from Rookie Moms (with super-cute printables if you’re into that sort of thing. You’ll get no pressure from me!), Modern Mrs. Darcy, and The Mommyhood Memos. […]

[…] (who live interstate and overseas). Each day I put in a small treat or sticker, and a note with a family activity that we will do together that day. I also include the daily Advent reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible (free printable reading […]

[…] your boxes other than chocolate or toys? Adriel Booker offers a printable version of her Ultimate list of family Advent activities & Christmas countdown fun on her blog. She splits down the more than 150 activity ideas into categories including fun at […]

[…] She featured a Countdown to Christmas idea with activities ranging from service to family time (LIST HERE with free printable). I had something else planned for my blogging calendar today, but I was reminded of this project […]

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